Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers vs Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: $46K vs $60K Median Pay

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers vs Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: what changes?

Consider Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers if you want to move or install mobile homes or prefabricated buildings. Consider Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers if you would rather install, program, maintain, and repair security and fire alarm wiring and equipment. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers and Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers

National median pay (2025): $45,990
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Seal open sides of modular units to prepare them for shipment, using polyethylene sheets, nails, and hammers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 300

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (3,500 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers brief

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

National median pay (2025): $60,070
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 8,500

Know before you choose

Some core tasks take place on ladders, scaffolds, roofs, or other elevated work areas.

See the full Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers brief

How the national numbers differ

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers has the edge on annual openings

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers is at 8,500 annual openings, compared with 300 annual openings for Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers.

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers has the edge on median pay

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers is at $60,070, compared with $45,990 for Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers.

Typical preparation differs.

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers has the edge on projected growth

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers is at 6.8% projected growth, compared with 5.8% projected growth for Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers.

38.9/ 100

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers

61.2/ 100

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers vs Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

Dimension	Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers	Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers
Median pay (2025)	$45,990	$60,070
Pay percentile	20.3 percentile	47.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.8%	6.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	300	8,500
2025 employment	3,500	86,300
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers brief Read Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers brief

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers vs Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

How the national numbers differ

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers has the edge on annual openings

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers has the edge on projected growth

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers vs Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

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